Photograph album page

ABSTRACT

A photograph album page providing rails containing passages to slidably receive photographic prints, a constriction in the passages positioning and releasably retaining the photographic prints mounted on the page.

United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,831,301 Reynard Aug. 27, 1974PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM PAGE 2,191,425 2/1940 Christiansen et a]. 40/104.l82,259,211 10/1941 M 40/153 13 [75] Invent; Reynard Frammgham, 2,262,05811/1941 si e i 40/16 Mass- 3,195,258 7/1965 Gwin 40/158 R e 3,277,59810/1966 Lightbum 40/63 A x [73] Asslgnee' a Corporamn Cambngde 3,727,3344/1973 Sakamoto 40/104.18 3,763,582 10/1973 Stevens et a] 40/l04.l8 [22]Flled 1972 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS PP 319,227 1,043,280 11/1958Germany 40/104.19

[52 US. 01. 40/104.18, 40/158 B Primary Examinerl Wolff [51 1111. c1.B42f 9/00, G09f 1/12 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Alfred Corrigan [58] Fieldof Search 40/102, 104.02, 104.06,

40/l04.18, 104.19, 158 R, 158 B, 159, 16, [57] ABSTRACT 64 R 65 R Aphotograph album page providing rails containing passages to slidablyreceive photographic prints, a [5 6] References C'ted constriction inthe passages positioning and releasably UNITED STATES PATENTS retainingthe photographic prints mounted on the 1,244,622 10/1917 McCauley 40/102page. 1.394.231 10/1921 Soans 40/l04.06 1.513.027 10/1924 Belli 40/16 x4 Claims, 5 D'awmg Flglres PATENIEB Aucz 71974 V m m FIGS PHOTOGRAPHALBUM PAGE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l. Field of the Invention Thisinvention relates to photograph albums, and more specifically to a novelalbum page including means for releasably retaining photographic printson the album page.

2. Description of the Prior Art The construction and manufacture ofalbums and album pages is not new in the photographic field. Themajority of commercially available albums, however, do not retain aphotographic print in a most aesthetically pleasing manner. These albumpages commonly use adhesive backed paper corners at each of thephotographic prints four corners to mount the print to the album page.Although the paper corners permit viewing of the photographic prints,the adhering ability of the corners deteriorates with age and morerapidly with climatic changes resulting in damage to or loss of prizedphotographic prints. The paper corners frequently do not present a cleanor neat looking holding arrangement and frequently the photographicprints are not orderly positioned on the page.

Another commonly used album page is a variety formed of a sheet withplastic pockets provided thereon, each pocket dimensioned to containseveral photographic prints. Generally, these pockets do not provide anymeans for securing the individual photographic prints within the pocket,feequently resulting in a disorientated looking collage. Furthermore,removal or insertion of prints is frequently difficult, with one printtending to overlap another.

Other album pages have transparent plastic pockets each holding a singleprint; these pockets protect the photographic prints from tearing andscratching but the print must be viewed through the plastic pocket,thereby detracting from the photographic image qualrty.

Thus, it will be seen that a variety of album pages, mounts, and holdershave been developed for holding photographs and transparencies,including holders constructed of relatively rigid materials. Asillustrations of such holders mention may be made of US. Pat. Nos.3,195,258; 3,460,282; 2,925,677 and 2,262,058.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This application'is specificallyconcerned with an improved album page of the general type disclosed andclaimed in the copending application for United States Patent entitledPhotograph Album Page by William M. Field, (application Ser. No.319,228), filed concurrently herewith.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention toprovide an album page, to be incorporated within a photographic album,in which photographic prints may be quickly and. easily slidablyinserted into passages provided within rails on the album page, thepassages including a constricted portion adapted to receive andreleasably but firmly retain the photograph. The passages allow forrepeated removal and substitution of other photographic prints withoutdamaging the prints or the page while avoiding the problem of printssliding out of the passages.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an album page havingthe passages included wherein predetermined alignment of the prints onthe page is provided by the constriction provided within each passage.

One feature and object of the present invention is to provide such analbum page which is compact, neat and attractive in appearance,inexpensive to produce, durable and convenient in use.

Another object is to provide such an album page which may be compactlyarranged in a ring or other binder, whereby photographic prints may bereadily inserted or removed while the page is in the binder.

Another feature and object of the present invention is to provide suchan album page which permits increased functionality, and is anintegrally formed prod- UCt.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in partappear hereinafter.

The novel features that are considered to be characteristic of theinvention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a fuller understanding of thenature and objects of the invention, reference should be made to thefollowing detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention with album retaining means included;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a modified version of the embodiment ofFIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 55 of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring in more detail and byreference characters to drawings of FIGS. 1 and 2 which illustrate apreferred embodiment of the invention, an album page 10 is illustratedcomprising a thin rectangular sheet 13, end rails 8 and 12, and innerrails 14. Rails 8, 12 and 14 are constructed of any suitableinexpensive, relatively stiff or semi-rigid material such as a syntheticvinyl plastic or the like, and preferably are formed integral with sheet13, as by a suitable molding or extrusion operation. An alternativemethod of construction may be to attach the end rails 12 and inner rails8 and 14 to the sheet 13 in a secondary operation by heat sealing orutilizing the binding powers of an adhesive. An album retaining portion24 constructed of a suitably flexible material provides a hinge 28 forthe turning of the album page 10 when placed between album covers,preferably of the loose leaf styled album covers. The album retainingportion 24 contains album retaining apertures 22 for receiving fasteningmeans incorporating the album page 10 into an album cover back and isattached to sheet 13 by joining the album retaining portion 24 to anextension tab 26 integrally formed with the sheet 13 and adjoining theend'rail 8.

The end rails 12, inner rails 8 and 14 and the album retaining portion24 are parallel with each other in the preferred embodiment with a pairof photographic retaining rails being formed by combining each end rail8 and 12 with one of the inner rails 14, thereby partitioning the sideof the sheet 13 into compartments 11 provided for photographic prints.The inner rails 14include a common wall 16 thereby conserving space,upright but may contain individual upright walls 17 as shown in FIG. 4.The compartments 11 are specifically adapted for use with a film unit ofthe type described in Land, Photographic Science and Engineering, Vol.16, pp. 247-l52 (July August, 1972). The film unit is characterized by atransparent layer which provides a protective surface for thephotographic image thereby alleviating any need for an overlyingtransparent or translucent material to be employed for the protection ofthe photographic prints when mounted in the compartments 11.

The photographic prints are slidably received in passages 20 formed bypositioning the upright wall 17 of each end rail and common upright wall16 of the inner rails 14 substantially perpendicular to each side ofsheet 13, with each upright wall 16 and 17 adjoining flanges projectingorthogonally therefrom substantially parallel with the side of sheet 13.The flanges 15 of each pair of rails are inwardly facing and opposite,thereby providing passages which capture border areas of opposing sideedges of the photographic prints. Within each passage 20 there areprovided constrictions 18 which reduce the height of the passage 20 to aminimum at or about the midpoint of at least one of each pair of rails.These constrictions limit the travel and thus position photographicprints slidably received in the rails. The constrictions 18 may beprovided by reducing the height of the passages 20 for only a shortdistance from the midpoint of the rail, the distance being sufficient togrip the photographic print, as by a crimping' type of operation.Alternatively, the constriction 18 may be provided by graduallyreducing, i.e.. tapering the height of the passages 20 starting at apoint relatively near the open end of the passage. it is preferred thatsuch tapering be effected by varying the thickness of the flange 15, asshown in FIGS. 2 and 5, so that the print is held relatively flatagainst the sheet 13. The minimum height of constrictions 18 should besuch as to provide desired frictional gripping of the print. but shouldnot be so small as to require undue force to insert the print lest theprint be bent or caused to buckle. The constriction l8 releasablyretains the photographic prints by frictionally engaging at least thelead-in border areas of opposing side edges of the photographic print.assuring a predetermined aligning of the edges of the print with theedge of the album page 10 and restricting the length of travel so thateach of two prints is properly positioned within each pair of railsforming the compartments 11.

A modification of the present invention is illustrated in F IG. 3 withthe rails 12 and 14 extending across the sheets perpendicular to thealbum retaining portion 24. The end rails 12 and the inner rails 14including constrictions as previously described combine to form pairs ofrails having the open side of the passages 20 of each pair inwardlyfacing and opposite each other to slidably receive photographic printsinserted into either open end of compartments 11.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are illustrations of a second embodiment of thepresent invention. A pair of spacedapart inner rails 14 have individualupright walls 17. An extension tab 26 containing album retainingapertures 22 provided therein and including a flexible hinge portion 40is formed integral with sheet 13. This method of construction eliminatesadding an album retaining portion in a second operation in themanufacture of the album page 10. The end rails 12 and the inner rails14 are provided on one side of sheet 13, thereby providing the user withan option in the use of the page 10 as a room decorating display or asan album page. The page 10 has the constrictions in the rails aspreviously described so that the page 10 may be orientated in anyposition, when removed from the album, without fear of having the printsslide out of the rails.

The rails preferably terminate a short distance from the page edge, asbest seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, thereby facilitating the alignment andinsertion of a print. If desired, however, the rails may be expended tobe essentially flush with the page edge.

It should be noted that album page 10 is not limited to use withphotographs of the self-developing variety. The spacing between thepairs of rails may be enlarged or'reduced, and the height of theconstrictions modified, to accommodate any desired size print. Albumpage 10 may also be modified to include a transparent protective layeroverlying flanges 15 if desired.

ln a specific embodiment an album page of the type shown in FIG. 1 anddesigned to receive Polaroid SX- Land prints is cut from extruded whiteplastic (vinyl) stock, each page being approximately 7 /2 inches wide by8%. inches high. Each album page holds eight prints, four on each sidein two rows each containing one upper and one lower print therein. Eachtop edge of the upper prints is substantially flush with the top edge ofthe page, and the same relationship exists between the bottom edge ofthe page and each bottom edge of the lower prints. Two prints in thesame row butt together where they touch.

Due to the album page construction, an album full of prints will be nothicker than an empty album, thus avoiding the bulging appearancetypical of many photograph albums. The flanges are so positioned on eachpage as to butt against the flanges on a facing page, thus assuring thatthe surfaces of the mounted prints will not be touched or marred by thefacing album page.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that album page 10 is an inexpensive,durable, and easily constructed unit which provides for both easyinsertion and removal of photographic prints without reliance uponmethods previously employed in the prior art. The album page 10 alsopermits double sided mounting with an unencumbered full view of themounted photographs without any portion of the photographic image beinghidden. Therefore, a clean looking and aesthetically pleasing mountingholder for photographs is provided.

This invention may be practiced or embodied in still other ways withoutdeparting from the spirit and essential character thereof. As an exampleof such a modification, mention may be made of the possibility offlanges 15 formed with a uniform thickness and mounted on wall 17 insuch a manner as to be nonparallel to sheet 13. In such an embodiment,the flanges 15 viewed from each side would slope upward from themidpoint of passage 20 to a predetermined point on either side of themidpoint. Such a variation provides an opportunity to modify theaesthetic appearance of the album page while retaining the functions ofthe passages 20 and the constrictions 18. The specific and preferredembodiments described herein are therefore to be considered illustrativeand not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by theappended claims and all variations which come within the meaning of theclaims are intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

1. An album page comprising:

a relatively thin, self-supporting rectangular sheet;

at least two pairs of parallel rails for slideably receiving andreleasably retaining photographic prints therein carried on one side ofsaid sheet, each rail of said pairs of parallel rails including anupright wall portion rising from said side of said sheet and having aflange portion projecting therefrom adapted to retain opposite edges ofthe photographic print thereunder, said upright wall portion and saidflange portion cooperating with said side of said sheet to provide asubstantially unobstructed passage terminating in oppositely disposedopen ends and having one open side running substantially from one end toan opposing end of said sheet, said open side of said passage withineach rail of said pair of parallel rails inwardly facing and oppositeeach other whereby photographic prints may be inserted between saidoppositely facing rails from either said one end or said opposing end ofsaid sheet; and

constricting means substantially centrally located intermediate the endsof said passage for preventing the movement of a photographic print,located within said passages, from said one end to said other end ofsaid sheet, said constricting means protruding into said passage forfrictionally engaging and releasably retaining the opposite edges of thephotographic print when the photographic print is located in its finalposition relative to said sheet.

1. An album page comprising: a relatively thin, self-supportingrectangular sheet; at least two pairs of parallel rails for slideablyreceiving and releasably retaining photographic prints therein carriedon one side of said sheet, each rail of said pairs of parallel railsincluding an upright wall portion rising from said side of said sheetand having a flange portion projecting therefrom adapted to retainopposite edges of the photographic print thereunder, said upright wallportion and said flange portion cooperating with said side of said sheetto provide a substantially unobstructed passage terminating inoppositely disposed open ends and having one open side runningsubstantially from one end to an opposing end of said sheet, said openside of said passage within each rail of said pair of parallel railsinwardly facing and opposite each other whereby photographic prints maybe inserted between said oppositely facing rails from either said oneend or said opposing end of said sheet; and constricting meanssubstantially centrally located intermediate the ends of said passagefor preventing the movement of a photographic print, located within saidpassages, from said one end to said other end of said sheet, saidconstricting means protruding into said passage for frictionallyengaging and releasably retaining the opposite edges of the photographicprint when the photogRaphic print is located in its final positionrelative to said sheet.
 2. An album page as defined in claim 1 whereinsaid constricting means is tapered down said end of said sheet.
 3. Analbum page as defined in claim 1 wherein said rails terminate a shortdistance from the edges of said sheet.
 4. An album page as defined inclaim 1 wherein said sheet and said rails are integral with each other.